Trouser hangers



1960 D. M. STEELE 2,948,406

7 TRQUSER HANGERS Filed May a, 1957 INVENTOR. DUDLEY M. STEELE ATTORNEYS 2,948,406 VTROUSER HANGERS Dudley M. Steele, Box 456, Palm Desert, Calif. Filed May 6, 19'57, Ser. No. 657,273 1 Claim. (613 11-99) This invention relates generally to garment hangers and more particularly to a multiple trouser hanger.

Mens trousers are generally somewhat bulky in storage and must be hung in such manner as to avoid excessive creasing and wrinkling. However, when hung upon the ordinary garment rack, they occupy considerable space, which creates a problem where closet space is limited.

In the past there have been a number of garment, and particularly trouser hangers, developed with the view towards increasing the storage capacity in closets and the like for such articles. In general it has been impossible to accomplish the dual purpose of storing trousers neatly and in the minimum of space. Further than this it has not been possible to utilize such areas of storage space as the backs of doors, small wall cupboards or such other ineflicient areas for the storage of such articles.

I have deviced and developed a trouser rack which is particularly adapted to hold a number of pairs of trousers in a neat condition, and in a very small area; yet in such condition that each pair may readily be removed or replaced upon the rack.

It is a major object of my invention to provide a multiple trouser rack which occupies the minimum of space. A further object of' my invention is to provide such a device which can be accommodated on the reverse side of a closet door, in narrow cupboard areas or the like. A still further object of my invention is to provide such a device, from which each pair of trousers may easily be removed or replaced without disturbing or disarranging the others.

These and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from the following description and attached drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of my invention, showing the same fastened to a door, in which a section only of the door is shown;

nited States Patent 07 Figure 2 is a front View of my invention with no trousers in place, and showing the same in closed position upon a door or other backing;

Figure 3 is a section through the area 3-3 of Figure 2.

A horizontal bar 10 of wood or the like is secured by two screws 11, 12 to the back side of a door 13 or the like. A rack consisting of a frame made up of side bars 14, 15 and end pieces 16, 17, is fastened by hinges 18, 19 to the top side of bar 10. Side bars .14 and-15 are slotted on the inner side, as shown by 20. Each vof the areas 20 is of the shape indicated in Figure 3, except that the recessed areas 20 on side bar 15 will be the mirror images of the corresponding recessed areas on the side bar 14. Horizontal supporting bars 21 are inserted in each of the opposed pair of recessed areas 20, as indicated.

The top bar 17 has a recessed slot 22 .on its back 2,948,406 Patented Aug. 9, 1960 ice side, which accommodates a chain 23. One end of the chain 23 is fastened into the slot 22, and the other end is fastened to the midpoint of a horizontal bar 24 of wood or the like. The bar 24 is attached above bar 17 on the wall or other backing area by two screws ZSand 26. A fully pivoting tongue 27 is fastened to bar 24 with a screw 28.

A pair of trousers 29 is folded over any or each of the trouser holding bars 21, and will remain in this single folded position until used.

In application the rack is held flat against the door as shown in Figure 2 at most times. The rack is held in this closed position against the door by the tongue 27 pressing on the outside of the bar 17.

When it is desired to place trousers upon the rack or to remove them, the tongue 27 is swung up to clear the bar 17. The rack is then swung down to an angle of approximately 30 to the door, and at this point is held suspended by the chain 23. In this position, each of the trouser holding rods 21 may be lifted upward in the slotor recessed areas 20 and then pulled outward and completely out of the rack. When a rod 21 has been removed a pair of trousers may then be easily removed from the rod, or a pair of trousers may be placed upon the rod 21 and replaced in an appropriate pair of recessed areas 20 and allowed to drop downward into the lower portion of this recessed area 20.

After the trousers have been replaced or the particular trousers required have been removed from the rack, the rack may then be folded against the wall or door and held in position once again by dropping the tongue 27 over the bar 17 Particular attention is called to the recessed area 20. It is essential that this area be more or less in the form as shown and particularly that there be a slot the full width or very nearly the full width of the hanging rods 21 to hold the rod 21 completely in place upon both its longitudinal sides. If this leg of the recessed area 20 is not sufficiently deep the rod 21 will have a tendency to fall away from the framework when the framework is opened as shown in Figure 1.

It will be apparent that the hinges 18 and 19 might be fastened directly to the door or other base material and fastened in a different manner to the framework or the lower edge 16 thereof, in order to eliminate completely the bar 10. It is equally apparent that a simple hook to hold the rack in a closed position against the backboard or such other changes might easily be made in this invention without departing from the inventive scope thereof.

The embodiment of my invention specifically disclosed herein is fully capable of accomplishing the objects and purposes of the invention, and it is not intended that the invention be limited thereby but only that it be limited in such manner as may be required by the appended claim.

I claim:

A multiple trouser hanger, comprising a substantially rectangular frame, said frame having top and bottom end pieces and parallel side bars, hinge means on said bottom piece adapted to pivotally mount said frame on a vertical supporting surface, a plurality of transverse elongated supporting members of oblong cross section extending between said side bars and removably secured therein, a plurality of complementary opposed securing mortise formed and in spaced apart relation in the inner surfaces of said side bars and adapted to receive the outer ends of said transversesupporting members, each of said mortise forming an L-shaped securing means for said supporting members, one leg of the L-shaped mortise being in axial relation to the said side bars and the other leg of the L-shaped mortise being at right angles thereto, the said axial leg being of substantially greater length 5 than the ends of the transverse elongated supporting members and the leg at right angles thereto being larger than the ends of the said oblong transverse supporting members, the said L-shaped mortise forming a positive securing means for said elongated supporting members 10 when said members are positioned therein.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Norris Oct. 4, 1898 Boucher Mar. 7, 1899 Clarke Jan. 15, 1901 Crane Sept. 27, 1910 Zizinia Dec. 13, 1910 Riordan Feb. 22, 1921 Doering Ian. 13, 1925 Evans July 14, 1953 

